[Football] The Athletic

[Danny Wilson Said]

The Athletic is a complete triviality. If it were to go bust overnight (which it will do, overnight, sometime soon) then very few would even notice

Isn't there quite a lot of investment bank money behind it? If so it will survive for a reasonable time even if subscriptions fall.

But it's a flawed product. For every good writer such as Stuart James there's a local paper hack or kid straight out of journalism school. If you think Andy Naylor's stuff is limited, read some of the other content on various clubs around the country.

At least he knows something about the Albion. When Plucky got relegated, they moved their Plucky 'expert' to cover Fulham. Maybe he'll become their Brentford specialist now. And when they started up over here their Southampton man admitted that he hadn't known where Southampton was when he took the job. So that's three clubs whose fans will have got very little value.

I know some on here enjoy the long form of its writing, but to me some of the articles are too lengthy and rambling. If they've got quotes they are going to use them whether they add anything or not. I get to read it for nothing via a work subscription but I wouldn't pay for it.

 

[dazzer6666]

I don’t love football enough to be sucked into yet another direct debit/continuous payment, to read transfer gossip allegedly a fraction second before everyone else passes it on anyway. Who cares? Or “beautifully crafted” pieces from football writers.

We like the Telegraph - football news without the lies, plus great travel and finance sections.

Same here. I took a discounted Athletic sub primarily for the supposed Albion content when it first came out but found I was barely reading anything in it that wasn’t overly padded rehashes of info available elsewhere.

 

[Weststander]

Same here. I took a discounted Athletic sub primarily for the supposed Albion content when it first came out but found I was barely reading anything in it that wasn’t overly padded rehashes of info available elsewhere.

I'm all for so called carefully crafted articles, Wooldridge, Swanton and McIlvvanney led the way, they're unassailbale. The perfect balance of facts, setting the scene and prose.

Some of the current much hyped football writers need to learn that less is more. I get bored as they waffle on to prove that they met the words target.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Same here. I took a discounted Athletic sub primarily for the supposed Albion content when it first came out but found I was barely reading anything in it that wasn’t overly padded rehashes of info available elsewhere.

Agree. Didn’t renew in February.

Just wasn’t reading it.


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[One Teddy Maybank]

Is anyone renewing?

There seems to be a lot of 60% off offers, but struggling to decide whether they are rejoining offers cleverly masked within offers for new subscribers.

I suspect the latter but wondered if any NSCers had rejoined on a discount offer.


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[Super Steve Earle]

My half price sub runs out on 5th August. I haven't renewed. I don't read anything much beyond Albion stuff and articles with Albion analysis within them. It's better informed than the likes of Kaveh on Sky who just talks about a guess for whole transfer windows until the window closes to prove he knew nothing. Last season's Messi to City and Sancho to Utd guesses were interminable studies of his 'serious expression' talking 'F-all'. At least I've enjoyed an average of one article per week in The Athletic. But it will take a serious discount to entice me back.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Took the original £28 discounted annual rate and didn’t renew as wanted c£50 for the renewal.

Was offered £1 a month a few days after expiry so signed up again


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[Uh_huh_him]

Just found out that my £1 a month subscription ran out 23 months ago and I've been paying £7.99 a month ever since.

As with all of these types of subscriptions, finding the page to cancel your subscription, is damn near impossible.

Edit: Found it: incredibly when i tried to cancel, they informed me of a "Today only" offer of a year's subscription for £1.50 per month. what are the odds!

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Took the original £28 discounted annual rate and didn’t renew as wanted c£50 for the renewal.

Was offered £1 a month a few days after expiry so signed up again


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I'd take £1 pm if offered. I'm also stalling on Sky Sports, Expires in August and the best they can offer is £25 pm which is an extra tenner.

 

[elwheelio]

I've just cancelled at the end of a £1/month deal. I find the app a bit clunky and the Albion info largely consists of Naylor commenting on other people's transfer stories, rarely if ever his own. Some of the long form articles are good but an awful lot of them feel like they are filler or, as others have said, rehashed versions of other stories. I know The Athletic sells itself as being the place that writes about things that other outlets doesn't but that's because long, detailed articles about what players eat for breakfast aren't that interesting.

 

[Hampster Gull]

I pay £1/month which i think is fair, there are enough reports to justify that. I suspect many are in the same place and the internet enables scale to make that work. If they stop I’m relaxed but i think there is a place for this journal.

 

[Official Old Man]

Just been offered The Athletic for £1 a month via a Facebook ad. No idea how to pass it on but just saying the offer is out there.

 

[AZ Gull]

Just been offered The Athletic for £1 a month via a Facebook ad. No idea how to pass it on but just saying the offer is out there.

[TWEET]1464293122444124168[/TWEET]

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Yeah I finally conceded on the £1 per month deal

Use this link-

www.theathletic.com/totally[url]

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Almost certainly said it on this thread. £12 for a year of Athletic articles is a bargain. Get it.

£12 for the Albion content that has largely been written to keep Barber on side and would be better off in the programme is really not great. Get the new fanzine instead. Dogma

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[prawnsarnies]

Not work £1

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Paid £29 for the first year as was commuting and worth it.

Wasn’t offered a decent renewal but found a £1 per month deal online and used my work email for this year.

Have just been offered the £1 a month deal to come back on my personal email, so totally worth it

 

[Change at Barnham]

£1 a month is crazy. It has some of the best football writing and has many articles from outside the Premier League, both from the Football League and world football.

The added bonus is if you like any type of US sports (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA) the coverage that is accessible is insane.
But even without all that it's worth it for just the Premier League coverage.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Just had a rather curt email cancelling my subscription because the renewal payment - which I thought was later in January, my mistake - didn't go through on the card I used last time.

"Because we were unable to process payment, your subscription to The Athletic has been cancelled.
If you wish to reactivate your account, you can resubscribe with the link below."

Now I would have thought that a friendlier email informing me my subscription was about to be renewed would have been polite but no, they went full rudeness from minute 1.

I'll wait for a politer renewal offer before I bother with them again.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Looks like Andy Naylor and co will have a new paymaster sometime soon...

https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/new-york-times-agrees-to-buy-the-athletic-20316